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In Between Days
A stunning and uplifting contemporary YA about a young teen who explores her queerness and navigates her grief through an unlikely friendship with her deceased father’s boyfriend.
When her mother refuses entry to a stranger named Richard at her father’s funeral, 17-year-old Mira Howard doesn’t understand why. But snooping through her father’s things reveals that Richard was her father’s boyfriend—a boyfriend she never knew about. In fact, Mira never even knew for sure that her dad was gay. Hoping to feel more connected to her late father, Mira reaches out to Richard without telling her mom, who is still angry from the divorce. As Mira and Richard become closer, Mira gains more and more insight into the side of her father that she never got to see.
Grieving that she never got to connect with her dad about their shared queerness, Mira asks that Richard teach her “how to be queer” while she navigates a new crush on her co-worker, which brings her out of her diary and into the real world.
But as Mira grows more confident in herself, she finds it hard to keep her relationship with Richard a secret, questioning why her family never talked about her father’s sexuality in the first place. Soon Mira has to decide if she wants to keep the peace or honor her father’s memory by being her truest self.
An epistolary novel told through diary entries, text messages, and book reviews, IN BETWEEN DAYS is a story about queerness, grief, and families—both ones we are born into and ones we create.
When her mother refuses entry to a stranger named Richard at her father’s funeral, 17-year-old Mira Howard doesn’t understand why. But snooping through her father’s things reveals that Richard was her father’s boyfriend—a boyfriend she never knew about. In fact, Mira never even knew for sure that her dad was gay. Hoping to feel more connected to her late father, Mira reaches out to Richard without telling her mom, who is still angry from the divorce. As Mira and Richard become closer, Mira gains more and more insight into the side of her father that she never got to see.
Grieving that she never got to connect with her dad about their shared queerness, Mira asks that Richard teach her “how to be queer” while she navigates a new crush on her co-worker, which brings her out of her diary and into the real world.
But as Mira grows more confident in herself, she finds it hard to keep her relationship with Richard a secret, questioning why her family never talked about her father’s sexuality in the first place. Soon Mira has to decide if she wants to keep the peace or honor her father’s memory by being her truest self.
An epistolary novel told through diary entries, text messages, and book reviews, IN BETWEEN DAYS is a story about queerness, grief, and families—both ones we are born into and ones we create.
Unknown Binding
Expected publication May 12, 2026
About the author
Camryn Garrett
6 books877 followersCamryn Garrett was born and raised in New York. In 2019, she was named one of Teen Vogue’s 21 Under 21 and a Glamour College Woman of the Year. Her first novel, Full Disclosure, received rave reviews from outlets such as Entertainment Weekly, the Today Show, and The Guardian, which called a “warm, funny and thoughtfully sex-positive, an impressive debut from a writer still in her teens.” Her second novel, Off the Record received three starred reviews. Her third novel, Friday I’m in Love, was an IndieNext Pick and received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly. Camryn is also interested in film and recently graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. You can find her on Twitter @dancingofpens, tweeting from a laptop named Stevie.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 24, 2025
In Between Days is a short epistolary novel about a seventeen-year-old girl who loses her dad and then finds out he had a boyfriend.
Let’s start with the cover because that alone deserves five glorious stars. So, so beautiful.
I liked the rawness and messiness of this story. Mira is grieving, but also trying to keep on living after her dad passes away. Told over the course of just one month, those in between days, this story explores what grief does to you even when you just want to move on because otherwise…
Richard, Mira’s dad’s boyfriend, was such a great character. I understood so well where he came from and he was incredibly sweet, even when Mira was pretty bitchy at times. She was not the only one grieving. He was too, but she did not really see that. And that fits a YA story about a grieving teen, including the egotistical parts.
Even though I really loved the story, there were also a few things I liked a little less. The timeframe was short and things happened fast, and for me that did not always work well. I could have done without the relationship stuff with Ginny for example. Or cover a bit more time than just a few weeks.
The other thing I was not a fan of were the constant HP references, even if they were on the negative side.
I doubted about my rating, and if I’m being honest I’m still going back and forth. In the end, I’m going to round my 3.5 star rating down to three. I might round it up in the future, I just don’t know.
Thank you Disney Hyperion and NetGalley, for this ARC.
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Let’s start with the cover because that alone deserves five glorious stars. So, so beautiful.
I liked the rawness and messiness of this story. Mira is grieving, but also trying to keep on living after her dad passes away. Told over the course of just one month, those in between days, this story explores what grief does to you even when you just want to move on because otherwise…
Richard, Mira’s dad’s boyfriend, was such a great character. I understood so well where he came from and he was incredibly sweet, even when Mira was pretty bitchy at times. She was not the only one grieving. He was too, but she did not really see that. And that fits a YA story about a grieving teen, including the egotistical parts.
Even though I really loved the story, there were also a few things I liked a little less. The timeframe was short and things happened fast, and for me that did not always work well. I could have done without the relationship stuff with Ginny for example. Or cover a bit more time than just a few weeks.
The other thing I was not a fan of were the constant HP references, even if they were on the negative side.
I doubted about my rating, and if I’m being honest I’m still going back and forth. In the end, I’m going to round my 3.5 star rating down to three. I might round it up in the future, I just don’t know.
Thank you Disney Hyperion and NetGalley, for this ARC.
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
~~Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the ARC!~~
3.5/5 stars rounded down!
This was good! A couple things held it back, but I would still feel happy if I saw someone reading this out and about.
The biggest thing that this book sets out to do, exploring themes of grief over death and the secrets loved ones never tell, are done wonderfully. You really feel for Mira throughout the whole thing. Not only does her dad die suddenly and tragically via heart attack, but then learning said dad was queer and kept it hidden from you out of shame is so rough. The teen's feelings are rightfully all over the place, and her couple spells of her mistaking strangers for her dad was so heartbreaking.
Her relationship with Richard, though awkward at times, provided some warmth and needed connection she needed. Richard himself is a very interesting character, because his past with Mira's dad and mom puts into perspective why things were hidden from Mira for so long. You also feel for him because he's also grieving his boyfriend but was barred from all the grieving rituals with Mira's family. Him becoming Mira's number one support was so sweet, and I loved that he genuinely tried to be a guide to queerness despite not having it all together himself.
Despite my praises, I felt some other things were either lacking, too short, and not needed.
Lacking: The exploration of Mira's other relationships. Mira has, like, three other significant people in her life before Richard. Her mom, her brother, and her best friend Zee. The brother barely accounts for much because he's pretty much a non factor. Mira compares herself to him because he's more put together than she is, but it doesn't feel that significant to the overall story. They only have one real conversation at the end of the book and that was it. Taking him out wouldn't change much. Zee is almost as absent but has more of a presence. They were unavailable because of school or something, but I wish they were somewhat more physically there and be more than the best friend character to Mira, because they struggled with nothing. The most disappointing was the mom. I know she's avoidant, reflecting Mira's dad in a way, but everything she revealed about her feelings in the end could've been sprinkled over time rather than all at once. Like I said, her past with the dad and Richard make her interesting, and I wish we got to see more of that.
Too short: The period which the story takes place is about a month. I really feel like the story could've gone on until the end of summer at most, but everything happening in the span of weeks feels so rushed. This book could really use the extra time to flesh out relationships and characters.
Not needed: The romance. Mira getting into a relationship, her first ever, so soon after her dad dying doesn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, Mira and Ginny have some cute moments, but it kinda took away from the things I wanted more, primarily the grief exploration with her family and Richard.
All in all, this is a good book, but it's a couple big things that hold it back from being great.
3.5/5 stars rounded down!
This was good! A couple things held it back, but I would still feel happy if I saw someone reading this out and about.
The biggest thing that this book sets out to do, exploring themes of grief over death and the secrets loved ones never tell, are done wonderfully. You really feel for Mira throughout the whole thing. Not only does her dad die suddenly and tragically via heart attack, but then learning said dad was queer and kept it hidden from you out of shame is so rough. The teen's feelings are rightfully all over the place, and her couple spells of her mistaking strangers for her dad was so heartbreaking.
Her relationship with Richard, though awkward at times, provided some warmth and needed connection she needed. Richard himself is a very interesting character, because his past with Mira's dad and mom puts into perspective why things were hidden from Mira for so long. You also feel for him because he's also grieving his boyfriend but was barred from all the grieving rituals with Mira's family. Him becoming Mira's number one support was so sweet, and I loved that he genuinely tried to be a guide to queerness despite not having it all together himself.
Despite my praises, I felt some other things were either lacking, too short, and not needed.
Lacking: The exploration of Mira's other relationships. Mira has, like, three other significant people in her life before Richard. Her mom, her brother, and her best friend Zee. The brother barely accounts for much because he's pretty much a non factor. Mira compares herself to him because he's more put together than she is, but it doesn't feel that significant to the overall story. They only have one real conversation at the end of the book and that was it. Taking him out wouldn't change much. Zee is almost as absent but has more of a presence. They were unavailable because of school or something, but I wish they were somewhat more physically there and be more than the best friend character to Mira, because they struggled with nothing. The most disappointing was the mom. I know she's avoidant, reflecting Mira's dad in a way, but everything she revealed about her feelings in the end could've been sprinkled over time rather than all at once. Like I said, her past with the dad and Richard make her interesting, and I wish we got to see more of that.
Too short: The period which the story takes place is about a month. I really feel like the story could've gone on until the end of summer at most, but everything happening in the span of weeks feels so rushed. This book could really use the extra time to flesh out relationships and characters.
Not needed: The romance. Mira getting into a relationship, her first ever, so soon after her dad dying doesn't sit right with me. Don't get me wrong, Mira and Ginny have some cute moments, but it kinda took away from the things I wanted more, primarily the grief exploration with her family and Richard.
All in all, this is a good book, but it's a couple big things that hold it back from being great.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
*4.5 Stars*
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really really liked this book. It was pretty different from my usual YA reads. I really like that it was journal entries and the way it spoke about grief and first crushes and so so much more. It felt new and familiar all at once and I was truly captivated. I also liked the job part of this and the relationship between the characters, especially the main character with her family and with Richard. It was all so complex and layered and just so interesting. I was a little less into the crush storyline but I still ended up rooting for those two. It was just a very good book. I felt so much from start to finish. I will be reading more books by Camryn Garrett and I cannot wait.
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really really liked this book. It was pretty different from my usual YA reads. I really like that it was journal entries and the way it spoke about grief and first crushes and so so much more. It felt new and familiar all at once and I was truly captivated. I also liked the job part of this and the relationship between the characters, especially the main character with her family and with Richard. It was all so complex and layered and just so interesting. I was a little less into the crush storyline but I still ended up rooting for those two. It was just a very good book. I felt so much from start to finish. I will be reading more books by Camryn Garrett and I cannot wait.
October 6, 2025
A raw, beautiful story about surviving the impossible and learning how to move forward, In Between Days is unflinchingly honest, heartbreakingly soft, and full of quiet strength. For anyone who’s ever felt stuck between one chapter of life and the next, Camryn Garrett’s novel is a powerful reminder that healing doesn’t always look the way you expect — and that starting over is still a form of hope.
February 18, 2026
I received an ARC of In Between Days at NCTE in Denver. I love it and will be promoting it in my presentations about queer representation in YA fiction. Camryn Garrett wrote a page turner with great characters. A+ for all of the allusions to other books written for kids and young adults!
The book will be available for purchase in May of 2026.
The book will be available for purchase in May of 2026.
Want to Read
September 28, 2025"A stunning and uplifting contemporary YA about a young teen who explores her queerness and navigates her grief through an unlikely friendship with her deceased father’s boyfriend."
this sounds phenomenal
this sounds phenomenal
January 19, 2026
This story is truly a gift for young readers (and adult readers, alike). The themes of grief and queerness are intertwined with hope and forgiveness and is written with such a lovely tenderness that feels so warm and so comforting.
I’m so glad this book exists.
I’m so glad this book exists.
December 15, 2025
I haven't read a YA book in about a decade, but this was wonderful to pick up. A queer teenager's wrestle with grief and coming-of-age in New York City.
April 21, 2026
Got me crying on the elliptical
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews